Independence Day
by The Madmadam
Summary: Deirdre doesn't want to watch the fireworks this Fourth. But a dear friend of hers just might convince her to do so.


Deirdre didn't always hate Independence Day.

As a matter of fact, it was always her favorite holiday. The fireworks sure showed the sun who was boss, bringing daylight to River Heights for almost twenty-four hours straight. Every other day of the year, River Heights stayed boring, with most places closing at eight. All the people who normally edged away from Deirdre's pessimism agreed whole-heartedly with her in this instance, helping her fill the air with a chorus of complaints and supporting her as she refused to leave the bars at last call—Booze-In, they called it.

But sleepy River Heights went all out on the Fourth of July, decking the placid air with fireballs all night long and well into the morning.

Noticing that one of her flats had started to slip off her ankle, Deirdre set down her plate of funnel cake and knelt down, pushing it back on. Normally she didn't let herself eat the gloriously unhealthy festival food they sold at River Heights Mall, and today it felt more like she was forcing herself to because golly gee, it was the Fourth of July, and she wanted a little pie slice of the joy she used to take from these todays in summertime.

She didn't get that joy.

All she did get was pretty bloated.

Note to self: do another juice fast next week.

"Hey, Dragon Lady Deirdre!"

Deirdre rolled her eyes. "Not today, Nedthony. Where's Henry?"

"He doesn't like Fourth of July festivities." Ned Nickerson gingerly brushed some soot into the gutter and sat down next to her. "Mall backlot, huh? Doesn't seem like your normal hangout place."

She released a bark of laughter. "They kicked me out of my normal hangout place. Remember last week I got arrested after that Booze-In?"

"Burt told me it was, quote unquote, 'epic.'" He frowned. "Why are you upset about it? Are your parents still not talking to you?"

"No. I told that they should be happy since they want me to be the carbon clone of Nancy Drew and she got arrested that one time. Didn't convince them. Didn't go over well at all, as a matter of fact. They have no sense of humor."

"You can come crash at Sigma Tau again."

"Nah. I'm sure you and Henry want some alone time for a change."

Ned shrugged. "Henry's been a little moody lately."

"Why? Roses and serenading didn't entice him to see your side of things?"

Chuckling and shaking his head, Ned replied, "It's not as easy with him as it is with Nancy."

"Well, that figures. The more invested people mutually are in the relationship, the harder it gets."

"So what's up with you? Normally you're at least fake chipper. Especially on the Fourth. Are you just tired? Should I buy you a cotton candy or what?"

"Ugh." Deirdre shoved her plate with half a funnel cake to the side. "I've eaten too much already."

"But…" his eyes followed the cake. "But you love funnel cake on the Fourth. Because it's so alliterative. It's the one time you seem genuinely ha—"

"Well I'm not, so why don't you leave it alone and go back to your glittery gay happy ending?" she snapped. Changing her mind, she picked up the funnel cake and tore off a bite.

"Because you're not happy," he replied, unmoved, always the gentleman. "Or, to change up the meaning a bit on gay, gay."

"Why change up the meaning?" Her teeth sank far into the dough. "I've had it with guys. Tell me at what age they gain some brief semblance of maturity before turning into subhumans again."

"Right in that little bit of time between high school and college. Mostly thanks from—" he leaned to her side and muttered, "—you didn't hear this from me, but ADPhi."

"Yeah." Deirdre took the bait. It helped calm her down. "They suck." Once upon a time, their proximity would've made her bones feel so hollow she could practically float in the air. But being Ned's fag hag was way better than being his girlfriend, she had to admit. Who else could she shamelessly stuff her face in front of? "It's too bad Nancy isn't single. I'd love to see the look on my parents' faces if I brought her home for dinner in a romantic context."

Ned laughed.

"Speaking of which, how did you feel about her dating someone else, like, right after dating you?"

"Relieved and expectant."

"Right, but wasn't your pride hurt or anything?"

"Nah. Long-distance relationships have a ninety percent fail rate anyway."

Silence dissolved their words.

Turning to look at her, Ned tilted his head to the side. "You still haven't said why you're so down."

"Just the Independence part of Independence Day, you know? I'd been feeling it, just wanted to get away from all the boring people here. After getting arrested, though, I'm less feeling it."

"Yeah, I get you. Part of me wants to stay in college forever. I used to feel so guilty about it since Nancy did all that traveling I couldn't keep up with." Ned leaned forward and hugged his knees. "But Henry told me that the adult world pretty much sucks. Being executor of estate for his uncle and all that."

Deirdre paused in setting her plate down. Once again she changed her mind and took another bite. "Blech. I'm gonna be sick I swear. Never again." Dumping the rest of the cake into the gutter, she turned back to Ned. "Do you love him?"

"Yeah. We've been dating for a year and I don't see the end in sight." A grin pushes up his thin lips. "I like it when he dedicates his poetry to me, even if it's kinda dark."

"Gay Bolet has it right. I like the dark stuff. It slows life down a bit. Like, I can tell you right now I wouldn't have ringlead that Booze-In if I were sitting home writing Nietzschean poetry about how life is meaningless anyway."

Ned rose abruptly and offered his hand. "Been chatting too long. We've got to move to a better spot for the fireworks. They're starting in five minutes."

"You go. That funnel cake glued me here," she deadpanned, wiping her hands on her jeans.

"Aw, come on. The Deirdre I know wouldn't miss fireworks for the world."

"Well the world isn't that interesting, and neither are fireworks. Independence Day should be about people growing older, not growing younger. I've had it with juvenile crushes, I've had it with booze, and I've had it with firecrackers." Her voice broke on the last word. She turned her head away.

"Wow. You're almost as miserable as your parents want you to be."

Deirdre nodded, untucking some hair behind her ear to hang over her cheek so Ned couldn't see her eyes well up.

"What, do I have to carry you over there? Come on. My arm's getting sore."

"I don't want to see them, Ned." She hated the way she sounded right now, small and sniveling like she hasn't been since she was seven.

"Hey." He sat back down, placing an arm around her shoulder. "Then I don't want to see them, either."

"I hate everybody, and everybody hates me."

"I don't believe either statement. Life has just kicked you around a bit. Look, you're dragonhearted. You'll make it, all right."

Deirdre sniffled and dragged her left hand across her cheeks and eyes. "Thanks."

Ned snapped his fingers and poked her shoulder. "I've got an idea."

"Yeah?"

"You know how you've been pestering me to let you give me a makeover?"

Her head jolted up with a little gasp. "You're actually going to let me do it?"

"If you come and watch the fireworks with me I will."

Squealing, she threw her arms around Ned and buried her head in his chest. "Now Henry won't be the only one wearing makeup in the relationship!"

"Pretty sure that doesn't matter to him, but it clearly matters to you." Ned pushed himself off the sidewalk and drew Deirdre up by her shoulders. "We're gonna have to run." Even in the dark she saw his eyes sparkle. "You ready?"

Laughing, Deirdre pushed her hair back behind her ear. "You know it, Nedgar."

He grabbed her hand and they bolted for Riverfront Park, pushing to outrun the buildings that blocked them. The funnel cake turned the run laborious for Deirdre earlier than usual, but the burn in her side made her feel like an actual living thing for the first time in a week. Their feet settled at a streetlamp across from the park, where their hungry eyes tracked the aubergine sky break in the first blue fireball.

Deirdre watched, enthralled, as divergent colors streaked across, above, and under one another, weaving a transient electric tapestry above thousands of people.

Nudging her arm without tearing his eyes from the spectacle, Ned said, "Happy Fourth of July, Deirdre."

Deirdre smiled. "Happy Fourth, Ned."

 **River Heights Mall and Riverfront Park are borrowed from the River Heights map in ASH.**

 **Wee snippet for the holiday. Happy Fourth, everybody! I realized a couple of days ago that despite loving Deirdre with a burning delight (she's in my top ten favorite ND characters), I've never actually written in her voice. I also haven't written any Nenry since Road Whose Course, so... yeah. Here's some.**

 **Oh, and I very much enjoyed Ned's penchant for puns in SEA and figured that he would like coming up with fun pet names just as much as Deirdre did.**


End file.
